Category Archives: MLB Baseball News

The Steezer: I have extra special take on this topic. I am the daughter of a Methodist minister. Her father? A Presbyterian minister. I spent 18 years of life going to School and church every week. Preacher’s kids generally either follow Desmond Bryant Jersey their parent’s footsteps or take a big dump on them. I landed somewhere the middle … I lead a pretty life minus the binge drinking, cursing, and questionable decision-making life. I have heard both mom and grandfather talk on numerous occasions about how wonderful it is when athletes gesture towards or talk about or get wicked tats depicting. I roll eyes. When I or hear it, it looks like part of the show. It’s going through the motions. Did they point toward the sky as they left the strip club and say Thank you God for putting Fancy lap! Probably not. But if you score a touchdown and somehow insinuate it was only because of your hard work and practice that makes you some kind of a villain. ‘t get me wrong though.

I believe God. I believe living a good life. But I also believe that ultimately all of us are subject to a greater balance; for every good thing that happens someone’s life, they pay the price another way. Examples: Good: Superman-esque Donte Whitner Jersey quarterback Bad: Thinks jorts are cool Good: Super Bowl bound Bad: Weird looking wife Good: Could play both ways Bad: Terrible reality sitcom on Oxygen Good: Record-setting coach Bad: Had to look at Peyton Manning’s smashed- face every day Good: Best. College. Quarterback. Ever. Bad: Nothing … okay, be a crazy that’s philosophy on religion. To answer the other part of the question, do I think God is a sports fan, I think he probably is. I think he keeps f-ing up the BCS system every year we’ll wise up and get rid of it. I think he keeps the Cubs from winning the World Series because it’s already too cold October Chicago for him to brave the trip. I think he keeps Boston sports teams near the top of the charts because he fears the brutality of Southies. And I think he keeps Charlie Weis fat because it makes him funny for all of us to look at.. —— : Dear God, it’s me,. First off, I’m sorry I spent four years at a Catholic college drinking whiskey and eating calzones rather than going to church, class, or, you know, HELPING people. I’m sorry that at Friars basketball friends and I would chant Je-sus! Je-sus! during a Providence run. I’m sorry that we made fun of the Friar mascot for looking vaguely, and irrelevantly, like a frightened Asian boy. Additionally, I’m sorry the college decided that positioning a twenty-foot-tall inflatable Friar behind the basket at home was a good idea. I think they can redeem themselves if they turn it into a Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man Friar when opponents are at the line. I’m sorry Tebow won’t stop calling you, that must be really annoying when you’re trying to play Rock Band or smite people. I’m sorry that after having virtuosos like Da Vinci and Michelangelo render your likeness resplendent masterpieces, decided to break out his 96 pack of Crayolas with the built- sharpener and draw you as Christ. Speaking of which, I’m sorry that Smith cast as a that dated Uncle Joey as you Dogma.

I know you ‘t really care who wins a given game, as long as everybody ends up. Well, except for apparently. You were probably just cutting the Patriots down to size after the hubris-filled 07 since pride IS one of the seven deadly sins. told me. But still, I’m sorry you thought it was a good idea to let a 9 team get to the Super Bowl. You’re not going to hear the end of it from Cardinals fans praying for a win, or more realistically, praying not to get killed, but you brought that on yourself. But what I’m really sorry about, God, is that Visanthe Shiancoe didn’t think to put a Bible verse on his dong before he decided to reveal it to the world. Think of the publicity!! —— J-Money: By all accounts, is a good guy. A great one, even, which seems to jive with the fact that his career has been doublestuffed with the kind of improbable Good Fortune rarely seen outside of Costner flicks. He’s been swaddled three different jerseys during his G-rated success story but the one constant has been his supersized devotion to Tha’ Lord. During the, he’s quick to credit Mister with every touchdown, the numbers the win column, and for guiding his wife toward a hairstyle that wasn’t borrowed from Drago. In the offseason, he hands a chunk of his paycheck to the church, builds playground equipment out of his own bones, and carves prosthetic limbs for armless orphans they can clap their hands when they sing hymns. A few years ago, I stalked K-Dub to Ricky Proehl’s golf tournament. It was the summer after the Rams Super Bowl victory had been etched on the Lombardi trophy and everyone the free world was familiar with ‘s improbable trip from Paper or Plastic? to the Pro Bowl. I stopped him front of the clubhouse, we chatted for a few minutes and he signed jersey, neatly writing Matthew 6 beneath his signature, a verse that means You’ll feel guilty wearing this when you’re calling the 49ers fan behind you a cockdragon. But all of that – the scripture quoting, God daps, and inability to get dressed without the help of a pair of animated bluebirds – is part of his personality. His postgame interviews border on tent revivals but it’s genuine, not just spiritual showboating, and that makes it a bit more tolerable.

The signal caller completed 23-of-31 passes for 273 yards with two touchdowns and interception while leading the Seminoles on a game-winning 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive midway through the fourth quarter a matchup that consisted of three ties and five lead-changes. The reigning winner’s stock Sebastian Aho Jersey is on the rise, partially due to his.706 completion percentage and 15 touchdowns, but there’s also something to be said of FSU’s sustained success at the top of the rankings a year with very few dominant teams. 6., RB, Wisconsin — The tailback amassed at least 175 yards every game since a 17-carry, 38-yard dud against Illinois back on Sept. 6, and he scored eye-popping 12 touchdowns during that four-game span, so it’s safe to say that he earned a bit of a rest during the Badgers’ bye week. Another big game should be store for this week going up against a Maryland team that allows just shy of 200 rushing yards per game. 7., QB, Ole — The Rebels looked shaky early their contest with Tennessee, trailing by three midway through the Cody Hodgson Jersey second quarter, but thanks part to a stellar performance from, they eventually cruised to easy 34 victory to remain undefeated. More than any remaining unbeaten team, Ole relies heavily on its elite defense, which allows FBS-low 10 ppg, but that’s not to take anything away from what has done under center. The 6-foot-4 senior has been responsible for 19 touchdowns and greater than 2 total yards while displaying excellent leadership for a squad with national championship aspirations. 8. Kevin White, WR, West Virginia — Although was running away with the distinction as the nation’s best receiver early the, White has certainly built a strong case to take over that claim. the Mountaineers’ stunning 41 upset over No. 4 Baylor, White carved up the Bears’ secondary to the tune of eight catches, 132 yards and two touchdowns, giving him at least 100 yards receiving all seven this and a touchdown five straight.

The 6-foot-3-pound physical specimen has emerged thanks to his outstanding chemistry with quarterback Trickett, and he ranks first the FBS receiving yards and second receptions. 9. Golson, QB, Notre Dame — Things could have been very different for the Fighting Irish and their quarterback had Golson’s would-be game-winning touchdown toss on fourth down the waning seconds not been overturned by a penalty. While the squad proved that it belongs the discussion among the nation’s best after fighting tooth-and-nail with FSU Tallahassee, the blow certainly leaves Notre Dame with a bad taste its mouth as well as uphill climb to the College Football Playoff. Golson was largely impressive the loss, completing 31-of-52 passes for 313 yards and three touchdowns while showing great poise on the final drive – which included a 20-yard completion on 4th-and-18 – but he continued his turnover problem with two more interceptions, giving him 10 turnovers over the past four, unacceptable amount for any quarterback let alone a Heisman hopeful. 10. Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor — Petty and the Bears were sitting pretty after a thrilling 61 triumph over nationally-ranked TCU on Oct. 11 to improve to 6 and earn a spot the AP poll top-five, but all that momentum was erased a hurry following their disappointing 41 setback to WVU.

Petty found time to throw a pair of touchdown passes, but that wasn’t nearly enough to mask a horrible day. He finished with the lowest single-game completion percentage of his career and had negative-9 yards rushing after getting sacked four times. Despite scoring a total of 20 touchdowns paired with only three picks this, Petty’s Heisman campaign unlikely be able to bounce back from this hiccup. Dropped Out:, QB, Auburn. Honorable Mention: Trickett, QB, West Virginia; Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana; Senquez Golson, CB, Ole.

DETROIT — On paper, this should not have been someone the Detroit Tigers struggled to hit. Minnesota Twins starter Kyle Gibson entered the game with an unsightly 5-9 record and a 5.34 ERA. If anything, this should’ve been someone Detroit’s scuffling offense was eager to face.

“It just wasn’t working on all cylinders today,” Boyd said. “Mechanics were bad. I wasn’t repeating my delivery – what’s given me success since July. I was just out of sync today. I know what I need to do. I know the adjustments I need to make. I’m going to make ’em … you can bet your dollar I’m gonna make the adjustments and be better the next time out.”

Is was such an aberration that after the game, Murphy — who tends to keep his postgame responses on the brief side — was even more abbreviated that usual when recounting the final out.

However, the struggles became only more glaring for the Tigers on Tuesday night, after a meager effort in which they posted just one run, losing 8-1. It was only the second outing this season for Gibson in which he limited an opponent to one run or fewer. Meanwhile, Baltimore beat Boston and, along with Toronto, holds a two-game lead on the final pair of wild-card spots in the American League.

“It’s a given day. The guy pitched well. We’re struggling offensively. Combine those two factors, and we don’t score many runs and he ends up with good numbers. It is what it is,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. “You’ve got to give some guys on the other side credit. I know you always want to point a finger at what’s going wrong here, but there’s guys on the other side making millions of dollars. They’re pretty good, too.”

The Twins entered the game with a 53-91 record, the worst in baseball, as well as the second-worst ERA (5.19) and fielding percentage (.979) in the majors. Suffice it to say, this was a team against which Detroit needed to rack up wins. The Tigers came from behind to steal a victory in the opener of the four-game series, but they looked listless on Tuesday night. And it wasn’t just offense that left something to be desired.

Detroit faltered from the mound as well, with young lefty Matt Boyd chased in the fourth inning after allowing seven runs on eight hits over 3? innings. His command was off. His mechanics were faulty. His velocity was down. It was an overall poor performance for the 25-year-old, who has otherwise pitched really well of late. Boyd entered having surrendered three runs or fewer in each of his previous five starts.

NEW YORK — The Tampa Bay Rays have signed veteran shortstop Alexei Ramirez before Thursday night’s game against the New York Yankees.

Ramirez was released by the San Diego Padres on Sunday after losing his job as the team’s starting shortstop.

“Carlos is a little beat up, so we sent him to see our doctors,” Hinch said. “He had tests today, so we felt that was the right decision.”

Correa experienced soreness in his shoulder in Tuesday night’s game against Cleveland and told Hinch he was uncomfortable upon waking Wednesday. He struck out in his three at-bats before singling in the eighth inning Tuesday

Correa is batting .27.4 with 19 home runs, 90 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 134 games. Houston is 1 1/2 games behind Baltimore for the second AL wild-card spot.

Rookie Alex Bregman, who played third base in the first two games against the Indians, started at shortstop Wednesday while Yulieski Gurriel, another rookie, played third. Hinch said Marwin Gonzalez could also fill in at short until Correa returns.

The Astros finish a four-game against the Indians on Thursday and return home Friday to play the Cubs.

Houston also is without ace pitcher Dallas Keuchel, who was sent back to Houston on Monday with inflammation in his left shoulder. Keuchel won the AL Cy Young Award last season.

CHICAGO — If you didn’t think it before, you should now: Chicago Cubs lefty Jon Lester deserves to start Game 1 of the postseason next month. That doesn’t mean he has been the Cubs’ best pitcher or should win the Cy Young Award — though maybe both are in play after Lester won his 15th game going the distance in a 2-1 win over the San Francisco Giants on Friday afternoon.

As for that best pitcher on the Cubs stuff, it’s a great debate but one that is for fans — not Maddon or team management. What makes sense in the playoffs is Lester starting Game 1.

“I’d rather have a ring,” Lester said. “Individual stuff is cool and nice but those World Series trophies look nice on your mantle, too. I’d rather have those.”

What the heck happened? The common thread was that none of them could score. Good pitching of all different types shut them down. Here’s a quick recap.

Giants (lost to Cubs, lead NL wild card)

The Giants couldn’t hit Cubs starter Jon Lester, who carried a no-hit bid through 6 2/3 innings. As this story notes, Lester pounded the strike zone. His 57 percent zone rate (percentage of pitches in the zone) was his highest since July 28, 2013 (58 percent against the Orioles).

Giants hitters went 1-for-18 in at-bats ending with a Lester fastball in the zone.

The upswing has been a collaboration between the lefty and the league-best defense behind him. Lester has improved his percentages in all the things the pitcher controls most. Strikeouts are up, walks are down and homers have been minimal. But most striking, opponents’ average on balls in play against him has dropped from .263 before July 29 to .228 since.

That was on display again Friday and helped Lester prolong the no-no suspense. Kris Bryant used all of his 6-foot-5 length to nab Crawford’s smash in the fifth, a ball that seemed ticketed for left field. In the sixth, Dexter Fowler charged in from center field and made a sliding catch of a sinking liner hit by pinch hitter Kelby Tomlinson.

“That was pretty awesome,” Lester said. “KB’s was pretty cool just because of how hard hit that ball was. Seemed to be by him before he kind of made his move and ended up catching it. That was nice.”

With Lester settling for the three-hitter, the most recent Cubs no-hitter at Wrigley Field remains the one tossed by Milt Pappas on Sept. 2, 1972 — 44 years ago to the day Friday. Really, though, the Cubs have celebrated their past long enough. And while a Lester no-hitter would have been a high point in a fairy-tale season, Wrigleyvillers are more concerned about what lies ahead than the exploits of the past.

“There is good energy on the field,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “There’s a strong belief that we’re going to play a pretty good game. The defense and the pitching have really set the tone for the whole thing.”

And on that front, here’s a little perspective. The Cubs are now 87-47. Even if they lost their final 28 games, Chicago would still finish with a winning percentage of .537. The second-place St. Louis Cardinals currently have a winning percentage of .530. That, folks, is dominance.

CHICAGO — The Pirates will begin the final month of the regular season without their ace.

Cole dealt with two injuries — shoulder fatigue and a back strain — in 2014. He missed time in Spring Training due to inflammation in his ribs, an injury sustained in the offseason. In June, he left a start early and missed more than a month due to a strained right triceps.

Manager Dave Roberts said it was “plausible” that Kershaw will advance directly from the live batting-practice session, but left open the possibility of a Minor League rehab start, even though time is running out on the Minor League season.

Brandon McCarthy (hip) and Brett Anderson (blister), like Kershaw (herniated disk) on the disabled list, are also expected to face hitters Tuesday.

“We’re encouraged. We’ll see what happens after that,” Roberts said Monday of the Kershaw plans. “It depends how he comes out of it tomorrow.”

Roberts said hitters from the Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga team will be imported for the workout.

Although they are on the disabled list, Kershaw, McCarthy, Scott Kazmir and Alex Wood flew with the club to Denver to take part in the team NFL fantasy draft Sunday night. The pitchers played catch at Coors Field before it rained, then flew back to Los Angeles.

Roberts said Wood (elbow surgery) is a week to 10 days away from pitching off a mound, and the club remains optimistic he will be able to rejoin the club as a reliever by mid-September.

Former big league shortstop David Eckstein, who won two World Series rings with the Angels in 2002 and with the Cardinals in ’06, grew up in Sanford, Fla., and played at the University of Florida. He considers himself a “diehard Gator” and was a huge Tebow fan during the quarterback’s storied college days.

Eckstein is aware that Tebow was an all-state baseball player in high school in 2005, the last time he played baseball, and he’s seen some video of his latest workouts.

“To play the position of quarterback, you have to be able to do just about everything athletically,” Eckstein said. “And I would love to see him playing baseball. The one thing you know about Tim Tebow is he’s going to give you every ounce of whatever he’s got, and that type of person, with the right skill set would become a superstar in our game.

“If he had gone right to baseball out of high school, who knows what we would have?”

That’s a common sentiment among the big leaguers who were asked about Tebow.

Take Mariners catcher Mike Zunino, another Gator. Zunino was the third overall pick in the 2012 Draft and has big league time, but he still knows nothing is guaranteed. He spent much of this season in Triple-A before making it back to Seattle. Zunino admires Tebow as an athlete, but he says pro baseball is like nothing he’s experienced.

“Guys that have been doing it for their whole lives and have dedicated the major part of their young development into playing baseball бн there are a lot of them,” Zunino said. “So it’s going to be tough.”

And while reports have been that Tebow has natural power and a decent-looking swing, Zunino said success in the batter’s box at the pro level is about so much more than that.

Former big leaguer David Aardsma, who appeared in 14 games this year for Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, has been facing Tebow to help prepare him for the showcase. Aardsma said what he’s seen firsthand is impressive.

Tim Tebow is scheduled to hold a workout for Major League Baseball teams on Aug. 30 in Los Angeles, a source told ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick.

Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona managed Michael Jordan when the basketball star did a stint in the minors with the Birmingham Barons in Double-A in 1994 and said earlier this month that transitioning to baseball from another sport is “a little harder jump, though, than I think people realize.”

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who played two seasons of minor league baseball in the Colorado Rockies organization, was recently asked by TheMMQB.com whether he had any advice for Tebow.

“Hope he can hit a curveball,” Wilson said, adding that “baseball’s pretty hard.”

Elliott suffered a hamstring injury on Aug. 2 while the Cowboys practiced in Oxnard, California. He missed eight straight practices and the first two preseason games, but he was able to participate in two workouts before the team returned to Texas last week.

“I’m excited to finally get some full-go action,” Elliott said Tuesday. “It’s been a long time.”

Garrett wasn’t sure how much Elliott would play against the Seahawks. The third game of the preseason is most like the regular season for the starters, but since this is Elliott’s first game some accommodations will be made.

“What we try to do with players playing in their first game is we have 8, 10, 12 plays, sometimes we go 15 to 20 plays with guys,” Garrett said. “So we’ll have a plan for him. We’ll talk about that over the next couple of days.

Last week against the Miami Dolphins, Alfred Morris carried 13 times for 86 yards and a touchdown. As he watched from the sideline, Elliott liked the size of the holes opened by the offensive line. The line could be bolstered by the potential return of left tackle Tyron Smith, who has been recovering from a stinger.

“We definitely have the best O-line in America,” Elliott said, “so it’s going to be exciting to get behind that line.”